A proofreader often gets confused with a copy editor as they more or less are doing the same thing. However, there exists a major distinction between them. A proofreader’s job is to ensure that any given content is free of errors. They do not need to rewrite or review the said content. Usually, any corrections needed at the sentence or even word level have been already made before the textual content reaches a proofreader. A proofreader makes sure that the content is free of any typographical, grammatical, punctuations, spelling, formatting, syntax, and other such errors.A proofreader is the one who possesses an eagle eye when it comes to an extra space after a period, when “there”, “their” and “they’re” are mixed up or even when the compound adjective is missing a hyphen.Their job is all about tweaking the syntax and diction in a content piece to ensure the most fluid and original projection of the content. Proofreading is defined as the reviewing or checking of a document thoroughly for any errors when it comes to spelling, grammar, as well as punctuation. Proofreaders have to sift through the given content or articles to look for any mistakes.The primary purpose of proofreading is to make the given content as error-free as humanly possible. It should remove any existing typo, spelling, spelling, or punctuation errors found in the document. Proofreaders, usually, report to an editor.
More in detail on editing and proofreading can be found here.
Is Proofreading For Everyone?
Most of the time the proofreaders have the experience working as a proofreader or they have the required qualification(something you can learn) for the said role.
However, the most important thing that you must have is strong grammar skills as well as the skill of instantly recognizing errors. Some companies do not ask for the experience for hiring proofreaders but most of the time, it is a requirement for getting hired.
You need to be a strong self-learner to get through the first hustle without experience.
Skill Set Requirement For Proofreading Jobs
- Patience to handle the tediousness that comes along with fine-tuning of every single aspect of each word as well as the sentence.
- You should have the precision to be able to fine-tune the content by revising word-to-word, sentence-to-sentence, as well as paragraph-to-paragraph.
- A creative mind to maintain the originality of the content for the creativity each client deserves during every phase of revision.”
- They also need to be familiar with a style guide or two.
- While working on website content, they need to know hyperlinking.
- It helps to be knowledgeable about Microsoft Word.
- They should possess the eyes of a hawk to spot errors.
- You should have an insane mastery over the English language, grammar, as well as punctuation.
Check this free proofreading and editing software, an Automated Proofreader to help with your proofreading work.
Proofreading jobs are available both online as freelancing as well as consistent offline jobs with office hours.
However, at the end of the day, it is the kind of connection and what kind of opportunities they present can help you land a job. That is why networking is very important!
To break into this field, you can do the following steps:
Proofread the content of your friends or anyone you know such as resumes, college essays, etc. It helps in getting you some experience as well as getting the hang of it.
Prepare a portfolio of your work. You can use it while trying to land an editorial job at a smaller publication or publishing house or even a website.
A basic competence across different disciplines will come in handy while getting hired.
Make sure to have a good understanding of the whole process of the copyediting as this will help improve your proofreading prospects.
There is an ever-increasing demand for proofreaders as well as editors in various industries such as publishing, advertising, legal services, news writing, business support, book publishing, etc.With the content growing constantly across both print and digital media platforms, there is no dearth of new opportunities coming up for proofreaders every day.
What Proofreading Tools Do You Need?
GrammarlyGoogle DocsAs a proofreader, you don’t need much to get started but a must-have is a laptop for your work. Apart from a laptop, you can get some tools (but not a must) to make your proofreading work easier.Check this book
if you want to improve your proofreading skills at a minimum cost.
Having said that, no tool can replace the human eye so use the tools but always give your proofreading job that human touch.
How Much Do Online Proofreaders Make?
The beauty of working online is that you can decide your time value accordingly, nothing is fixed. But to answer the question, a good starting fee for proofreading is $20 an hour.
Keep in mind that this will largely depend on your experience, platform, etc.
Do I Need Skills to Be a Proofreader Online?
If you`re wondering how to be a proofreader with repeat clients, learn to take your time, make sure the is are dotted and the ts crossed.
Some clients prefer Journalism and English degrees, but you need not be disappointed, there are enough proofreading jobs online without a degree.
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Teach English online without a degree.
Online jobs without any experience needed.
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What Companies Hire Proofreaders?
Many companies hire at-home proofreaders. The pay scale though as already mentioned above differs from each hiring company.
Make sure to check the website of the company to gauge for their requirements which may or not keep changing.
For Entry-level Proofreaders, These Are Some Of The Options:
-
- Scribe Writing
- Proofreading services
- Babbletype
- Proofreadingpal
- Lifetips
- Scribbr
Proofreading Jobs Hiring That Requires Experience
- American Journal Experts
- Wordsru
Polished Paper- Cambridge Proofreading & Editing
- Edanz Group
- Gramlee
- Ixl Learning
- Managedediting (Formerly Wordfirm)
- Domainite
- English Trackers
- Editorlive
- Book Editing Associates
- Cactus
- Editfast
- Wordvice
- Scribendi
- Kibin
- Prompt
- Enago
Conclusion On Proofreading Jobs From Home
To be able to land a proofreading job without prior experience, you require the zeal to learn along with some hard work. Extensive reading is recommended to brush up your vocabulary, style, and guidelines. You also should grow your network by getting in touch with relevant connections that may guide you and may prove fruitful in the long run when it matters.
I’m very good at spotting errors in news article, articles in general, or in books. One such famous book is “Rich Dad Poor Dad” by Robert Kiyosaki in the first chapter. You would think that these people have very good writers who proofreads every words and paragraphs. But after reading this article about proofreading, I see why there is a need for such job. I will take a look into this and see where it leads me. Thanks for an interesting article.
I have never read Robert Kiyosaki`s book but have heard much about it.Shame that such a book that`s so much talked about has errors.
Glad you found the article helpful and are thinking of trying out proofreading jobs, I wish you luck, I`m sure you`ll be a brilliant proofreader.
Hey there thanks for sharing this article. In our world today many people out there are tired of their jobs and have cruel bosses who make it worse and they are also very depressed at their work places and also go home with a very small paycheck without knowing that there are Amazing ideas out there like these
Thanks Collins
Proofreading jobs can be a good source of extra income,there are many platforms out there where you can get started totally free.